Epitomy of Modesty

Abby's new response to compliments is to ask for more. For example, the other day a lady at the store told her that her hair was mighty pretty (and yes, she did say mighty…still makes me smile). Instead of a thank you, Abby then pointed to her shirt and started grunting and following the lady down the aisle to also get complimented on her shirt. And then her shoes. And then the hood of her jacket. But who can resist her cuteness?

Abby grabbed the camera the other day, handed it to me and told her it was time to take a picture. She then walked to the middle of the room and posed, would come back to check the result in the screen, say, “No, no, no” and go back to pose for another picture. This happened a couple times until she got the desired picture above, which we just had to show off. This is also her favorite pose to do while dancing to "Good Morning, Baltimore" from the Hairspray soundtrack, but the pose is of course accompanied by bobbing up and down and spinning. She is seriously too cute. :)

Wise Pictures

Some pictures of our beautiful surroundings! Seriously, if you were to ask us what we think of living here, our first answer would probably be about how gorgeous it is. We are enjoying ourselves and getting used to the new culture. One thing we have loved is all the live music at festivals, in the evenings at parks, and anytime there's an excuse for music. We've enjoyed several outdoor concerts already and look forward to filling our calendars with more blue grass, soul, and country music. You just can't beat it! We love living in a house, even with it's odd quirks. For example, we have 1 drawer (maybe 3 inches wide) in the kitchen, 1-2 outlets in each room (makes life interesting for Roy and all his electronics), and the floors are slightly tilted toward the back of the house (not enough to notice unless you put a ball down and it rolls). BUT, we have a laundry room (GLORIA!!!!), our own driveway, a porch swing in the front, a fenced porch in the back, and enough space to spread out and make it still look like we have a lot of open area. Abby's room is much bigger than her last room so there is plenty of space for her and the baby to share. Our new ward has taken us in and made us family. They are thrilled to have a new family in the ward since only about 30 people come to church regularly. People have already volunteered to bring dinner, babysit and have baby duty after the baby is born. Sounds good to me! So here are the much-anticipated pictures in no particular order!

Abby giving kisses to her new, still un-named, fish.

Abby covered in bubbles. Just too cute to not share!

The family on Flag Rock in Norton, VA. You can see all the valleys from this rock, with about 3200 ft altitude. Nothing compared to the mountains in Utah, but that's pretty high around here. In fact, Wise is the highest point in Virginia. You can also see West VA and Kentucky from this point (both are less than 45 minutes away from our house, as is Tennessee, but you can't see it from this point).

The family on our front porch. Abby loves the freedom of being outside so we spend a lot of time out here. And we have a swing! Yeah!

Enjoying some swinging

We Made It!

Some people may think that we dropped off the edge of the earth sometime during the last few weeks. While that may be partially true :), we actually accomplished what felt like the feat of a lifetime (at least what we hope only comes once in our lifetimes). We got home from vacation early on the morning of Aug 13, packed up all of our belongings, and moved to the opposite end of Virginia early on the morning of Aug 25. If Abby weren't so incredibly patient and flexible, if Roy hadn't been home the whole time, if the Pinkneys hadn't had an endless supply of boxes for us, and if we didn't have friends to help us, we would have been a whole lot more stressed. A move is stressful as it is, but we were incredibly blessed to pull it off so quickly and with so much help from family and friends.

We have now been in Wise, VA for a week and really like it. We found a house to rent just 5 minutes from Roy's job, have nearly everything unpacked, and have enjoyed several fun features of the area, including a a fabulous library and a folk soul outdoor concert. Wise is a small town where it seems like nearly everyone knows everyone and that's if they aren't related to them. Our next door neighbor was good friends with Roy's new boss when they were growing up right here in Wise. A lot of people have lived here for generations, many on the same land. We live in the house that our neighbor spent her whole life in until she married and moved up the hill to the house next door. Everyone is so nice here. In 4th grade, I can remember my teacher emphasizing that telling someone they were nice was not a complete compliment and that you needed to expand, but nice is seriously the best word to describe the kindness we have received from just about everyone we have come into contact with while driving, in Walmart, while setting up utilities/bank accounts/house stuff, and anywhere else we find ourselves. People have gone out of their way to help us and genuinely try to get to know us. It's wonderful! We'll have to post pictures later, but I had to post now that we finally got the internet. We do enjoy being in Wise!

ABCs

Weeks in Review

Since too much happened in the last two weeks (new job, Disneyland/Oceanside family reunion, and packing), I bullet-pointed the most fun things to share. I mostly just wanted to show off how cute Abby is and the story just makes the pictures so much better! :)

• Roy accepted a magistrate job in Wise, VA. We move August 25 and Roy starts work September 10. And yes, we are feeling a little bit of stress since we have to pack up, say goodbye, find a new place to live, and be prepared for Roy to work full-time all in 3 weeks. Ah! :)
• We had a fabulous time at Disneyland and Oceanside. Roy got to go on tons of rides with various family membersbers and Abby got really brave and wanted to try everything! I enjoyed the kiddie rides with Abby and not waiting in line with all the big kids. Sometimes the benefits of being pregnant and not waiting in line are great!
• We stayed on the same floor as all of my family members in the resort and it was so nice to run down the hall so the kids could play. Abby would routinely wake up in the morning and say, first thing, “Alli, Alli" (translation: I want to play with my cousins now. NOW!)
• We played at Disneyland for 4 days. Abby loved any boat ride, train ride, and the teacups. She loved Pirates of the Caribbean. To Roy’s chagrin, she also loved It’s a Small World.
• We went to several shows while at CA Adventure. Abby especially enjoyed the Parade of Lights, Aladdin, and the High School Musical Parade.
• While we waited for the Parade of Lights, a Disney employee announced over the loud speaker that the audience should prepare for the sparkling lights, famous characters, wonderful music, and twinkling floats. My dad and I were with the 4 granddaughters who appropriately wowed each proclamation. The employee then warned that the aerial lights would be dimmed so we could enjoy the parade. The 5-year-old turned to Michelle and said, with wide eyes “They have ARIAL lights?”
• When we woke up our last day at Disneyland, Roy asked Michelle what she wanted to do that day. Abby rolled over in bed and said, “Choo-choo.” So after we packed up the car, we took off for Disneyland and rode the monorail. She was so excited she couldn’t sit still. And still when you say the word Disneyland, her response is “Choo-choo.” Glad Disneyland made such an impression!
• After so many hours of constant play time at Disneyland and the hotel, we were ready for a break so Oceanside was the perfect solution. We hurried down after spending the morning at Disneyland, checked in to the hotel, gathered a few supplies, and headed to the beach. Every member of my extended family (except Mor Mor) was on the beach for a family reunion and family picture. Getting 40 people organized on the rocks and actually smiling is a long story in itself.
  
• Immediately after taking the family picture, Abby ran toward the ocean. She couldn’t stop talking about the big water with bubbles. She literally attacked the waves. After soaking both her parents and herself, completely filling her diaper with ocean water, and getting cold, we decided it was time to head back inside.
• That evening, we had the extended family BBQ and let all the little ones play together. There are 9 kids 5 and under and all the movers were all over the place. It was SO fun to watch!
• We spent the next two days playing games, enjoying the beach, going on walks, swimming, and relaxing with everyone. It was a great way to end a family vacation.
• We then drove up to LA to spend time with Roy's Grandma Pyper and the Marcusens (Roy's aunt and cousin), who were nice enough to let us stay for a couple days. Abby greatly enjoyed the attention and the walks we took with Grandma. She even let Grandma hold her hand (at least for about 10 seconds until she decided it was time to race down the street).
• We successfully endured 2 very long days in airports and on airplanes. Abby did a great job. We landed at midnight back in DC and everyone was pretty tired. Abby had just woken up from a nap, but she was sure to cheerfully say goodbye to everyone we passed. She also got to ride the bus that night and told the whole bus how happy she was.
• Now we’re back home and busily preparing to move. Abby had a happy reunion with her toys and is very successful at distracting us from our much-needed packing.
• We had a lot of fun with the Sterling Zwahlens and Grandma and Baba Z on Saturday. It will be weird not to see family on a regular basis. 7 hours is a long way to drive to get to family! We've been spoiled to spend a lot of time with them in the last 3 years so this move will definitely be a huge change.

We really appreciate all the kind words and help that we've received in the last few days. Thanks everyone!

So Long, Farewell

Roy just got a job in Wise, VA so we will be moving at the end of the month. A big thank you goes out to all our friends and people who feel like family who we have enjoyed being with the last 3 years. Thanks for your patience, the time you have spent with us, the fun times our kids have had together, and your friendship. If you are ever in the Wise area, please come visit!

And if anyone wants a great goldfish named Jakers, let us know!

Toddler Talk

Imaginary play is becoming more a part of our lives and I LOVE it! We are usually accompanied by a baby, Abby Caddabby, Elmo, or stuffed animals on our walks. And we always have the baby doll stroller, even if it is temporarily empty--don't worry, it'll be filled with leaves, rocks, and other treasures to take home to show Dad and to put on the balcony.

The pacifier is also becoming less a part of our lives (through several days of effort and many days of being the worst parents ever) so Abby is talking a whole lot more. The sweet sounds that come from my girl bring tears close to the surface, but I keep trying to blame pregnancy hormones. Abby wanted to make the top video because she wanted to make a talking video. And, no, I have no clue what she is saying. The bottom video is my attempt to capture her reading a book to her baby last night, but she caught me pretty fast! Enjoy the sweet sounds of toddler talk!